Yoann Riou talks about his incredible transformation for “Pékin Express”

He returns for three days and three nights. Yoann Riou a figure on the L’Équipe channel, will appear this Thursday evening in season 20 of “Pékin Express” to accompany Enzo and Otis, childhood friends, to Tanzania. “I came across a fantastic pair, they are very kind and caring», confides the sports journalist on the set of “Buzz TV” this Thursday. He had already participated in the program two years ago, alongside Xavier Domergue.

Before setting off on an adventure, Yoann Riou adhered to a drastic diet. “I lost 32 kilos in six and a half months», he tells us. A resolution applied thanks to “Beijing Express”. “When Thierry Guillaume, the producer, contacted me at the end of June, I told him yes straight away. (..) But I was at 106 kilos, it wasn’t going well at all. I was out of breath as soon as I took a step. After the Euro football, I went outdoors in Brittany, going on hikes after hikes. I lost a little less than ten kilos just before “Beijing”. And after that it started me to lose, up to 32 kilos today”he told us proudly.

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Yoann Riou is delighted with his physical metamorphosis which will preserve his health. “We’re getting older, I’m 46… And TV is very physical. For example in “Pékin Express”, you trudge all day. If I had stayed at 106 kilos, I would not have been able to follow my partner, run like crazy, jump into cars and give 150%. And now I feel so much better», explains the person who engages in regular sporting activity, particularly exercise cycling.

“I would like to reach 70 kilos”

Yoann Riou on the set of “Buzz TV”

He admits it today: his overweight prevented him from taking full advantage in certain TV shows. “Sometimes I have regrets in TV, in “Fort Boyard” in particular, which I did three times. I tell myself that if I had been physically better, I would have coped better with the challenges. There was even a time or two when I refused because I wasn’t feeling well», reveals the former candidate of “Mask Singer” and “Dancing with the Stars” who will also participate in the next season of “Traitors” on M6.

Today, he sets new goals for himself. “I am at 74 kilos, I would like to pass the 70 mark», he tells us before saying that his transformation also forced him to have a makeover. “I changed my entire wardrobe! I stored all my XXL clothes in an attic in Brittany with my family. And I went shopping twice before Christmas, even though I hate shopping. There, I oscillate between sizes M and L, I must not go back to XXL», he said with a smile.